Back at it!

It has been several months since my {this is Courtney} last post. So long that I am scared to even go back and look when that was—so I am not going to!

These past few months have been absolutely crazy and amazing! God is so good. 

Here is a quick re-cap through photos. 

Nick and I took a long road trip to Montana, which was amazing, beautiful, relaxing and so much fun. 

I will do a separate post specifically about our trip to Montana and visiting with Roo and Chet.  

This picture above is Glacier National Park. 

We have had several family members visit us. 

Grandma, Em, Dad and Chris visited us in the fall!

Mom and Dad Parsons also visited us in the fall. 

This is probably my favorite picture from the week they were here. 

We spent Thanksgiving at a deer camp in Texas with Chris, Mom, Ron and a bunch of the Runnels crew. Nick got quite a bit of hunting time in. 

I traveled to California in early December for my sister's baby shower! And it was so much fun. 

While in California I finally got to meet my dearest friend Courtney's little girl, Reese K. 

She is precious.

Mom and Ron braved the cold and the ice storm to join us in Tulsa for my birthday. She even brought me a Nothing Bundt Cake and it was amazing! You should try it sometime. 

Christmas was super! We did not go anywhere and we absolutely loved it. On Christmas day we made a BIG delicious meal for the two of us and feasted on it for several days after. 

We celebrated New Years Eve with dinner and drinks with friends. We were home and in bed by midnight! haha. 

Starting the new year off right!

Somewhere in between the posts above we had lots of snow! This is our house a few days after the snow, we got a pretty good amount. 

My adorable nephew made his entrance into the world on January 23, 2014. 

Truman Jeffrey Todd 

{I'm sure Corynne with post more later}

Lastly, the reason I have not been posting much the past few months is because I have been studying for a big exam. I am a member of the Society for Marketing Professional Services and I took the CPSM (Certified Professional Services Marketer) Exam this last week followed by the Southern Regional Conference. It has been a rough couple of months preparing for the exam, but I am relieved it is over. 

Hopefully I will have some good news in the next few weeks!

Hope you enjoyed my recap of the past few months!

-Court

A Homemade Christmas -- Gifts

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 We decided to combine our experience and knowledge of homemade gifts for this post.

We both really really really enjoy crafting and making gifts for people. It’s not always easy to figure out a homemade gift for people, but here are some ideas. Not everything is homemade, but pieces are.

BBQ Kit – BBQ Spice Rub (Nick made this), Store Bought BBQ Sauce, Homemade Candied Pecans, Jiffy Cornbread Mix

Handmade Ornaments – Courtney made some really cute pinecone ornaments and fabric covered ball ornaments.

Basket or Tin of Goodies – These are great for coworkers. Just find a cute tin or Christmas plate and fill with yummies and wrap up cute. Like these: Baking Gifts

Cookie in a Jar – These are great during the holidays because so many people receive a lot of sweets, so with a cookie in a jar, they can wait to make the cookies when they are ready for something sweet again.  These Cowgirl cookies are great; I(Courtney) tried them a few years ago.

Mason Jar Décor – I did this when I was bored over a year ago and I currently use it for straws and it sits on my kitchen counter. It can be used for make-up brushes, as a vase, as a decoration with sticks, or a pen holder to name a few.

Photo Album – Create a photo album on Mixbook.com (my favorite) or blurb.com

Scarves (Corynne’s Domain) – My mother-in-law got me in to knitting and then I started crocheting and I love it. It’s a great and fun hobby! And it makes for great gifts. I’ve made tons of different things and sold baby sets, beanies and headband ear warmers. I have tons of my stuff on my old blog and pinterest. Here’s a link for an east winter beanie: East Winter Beanie Link

And here’s a link to the baby sweater’s I’ve made: Baby Sweater Link

Also, check out Corynne's previous blog about the teddy bear she made: Teddy Bear

Candles (Corynne’s Domain) – My friend Esther got me in to making candles and it’s also a great hobby. I don’t have a set recipe to give you, but I highly recommend you trying to make candles. This and crocheting are two of my favorite things to make and give as gifts. I bought supplies from my friend and she taught me how to do everything and I’ve made at least 12 candles already. Personally, I’m obsessed with candles and they can be expensive, but making your own is much cheaper and you get to choose what color you want and what scent.

If you wrap a small piece of twine around the candle it looks really cute, but just be sure to remove the twine before the flame reaches it. Last weekend at our mom's house the twine caught on fire and luckily we found it before the whole coffee table went into flames. Eek—safety first!

We will have some more ideas after Christmas (we cannot share now, because family will know their gifts—eek!)

Hope you enjoy these ideas.

- Courtney and Corynne -